Hunter's diary
What Can Be Done With Democrats That Refuse To Lead?
succinctly points up the central problem for votes next year:
House and Senate Dems have made it crystal clear that they do not give a flying shit about their base. They wish we'd just curl up and die.
All too true, and so we should consider that extreme but effective response.
Spite.
Kneecap them.
Vote anyone but Democrat for president in 08.
Last week a Sr. Hugo Chavez learned a tough lesson about taking your base for granted. Whatever propaganda you may have heard about the "Triumph of NO" from the gullible regular media, the reason Chavez lost his first election was that he failed to convince his own supporters. Many parts of the referendum were excellent and individuallly would have easily passed. However they were wrapped up in a legal mishmash and mixed with Chavez's increasingly irritating cult of personality. Instead of addressing concerns of his base, Chavez spent his time waving the Bush Bogeyman, and enough of his base stayed home to lose him the ballot.
While Chavez was clumsy and ham-handed, his faults pale compared the Emanuel, Hoyer and the other callous and venal clowns we mistakenly put in power last Fall. As Hunter points out, we do not really have many logical responsible options. But we do have a powerfull illogical option.
Spite.
Lets make Hillarybamaward's dreams of presidential pomp and circumstance curl up and die for however long it takes them to "get it".
Bbbbut, that means for more years of Repug's in charge, right? Yeah, it might. But at the moment there's no evidence the changing the Party of the Current Occupant would be much different from the way things are now.
For this to really work, however, we have to do this massively and en masse. Just getting fed up and scattering progressive votes randomly accross the electoral landscape many keep the Great Betrayers out of power, but neither they nor anybody else will get the message that you don't screw with you base. Republicans have learned this, say whatever else you will about them. So what to do?
Next year, vote only for non-panderers. From where I sit, that means only Kucinich and Gravel (Ds) and Paul (R). There's no need for everyone to rally around just one of those three. When the primary dust settles, if all three have much higher than predicted totals, that will mean the message is on track. In local races and individual congressional races there are many fine Democratic candidates progressives can support without compromising their principles. It might even be worth in some races to re-register as Republican and use the primary opportunity to enjoy voting against some especially obnoxious repugs.
I assume that the November election will still be between "First Tiers". It get a little more tricky. We would really need to pick one third alternative (whoever it is) and all go in together to make the point. When the Democrat's don't take back the White House in '08, everyone has to know it's because the "base" got tired of being ignored and got, well, spiteful. Otherwise, we'll have another four years of "analysis" of why the Democrats can't get their act together and what they "must do to win in '12", and who needs that?
Yeah, four years of Rudy would be a shame. Even more of a shame would be 4 years of Hillary trying to prove she's as tough as Rudy or 4 years of Obama platidudinizing about not being Rudy while letting a Rudyesque agenda slide on by. But it might all be worth it to hear on the day after elections Rahm Emanuel and Sten Hoyer crying "Mierda" on the after-election talk shows.